Young children and retarded persons often experience great difficulty in tying their shoelaces into bows. One difficulty encountered by such persons is determining how a first end of the shoelace should be bent to form a loop and where the loop should be placed. Also, such persons often find difficulty in holding the looped first end portion, while manipulating the other end portion so as to form a second loop and wrap and thread the loops to form a bow.
One type of teaching aid which can be economically produced and displayed, includes a plate of material such as cardboard, with markings representing at least part of a shoe, and with holes through which a shoelace can be threaded. It would be desirable if such aid could be made as realistic as possible, without substantial increase in its cost.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a low cost and easily understood aid is provided to help children or retarded persons in bending a shoelace end into a loop and in keeping it in that shape and position, while the person manipulates a second end of the shoelace in the tying of a bow. The shoe device also has a holdown for holding an end of the loop, to maintain its shape and position while the person manipulates the second end of the shoelace. The holdown can be a tab that is cut into the plate and that has an inner end still attached to the rest of the plate.
Greater realism for the shoe device is achieved at negligible cost and even at some savings, by cutting a front portion of a plate to represent the front half of a child""s shoe. The front portion is cut out to form a rounded front and largely parallel sides. The front portion also has decorations, or markings, representing the front portion of a child""s shoe.
The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.